Books | Mark Rubinstein Blog

The Power of a First Sentence

October 16, 2013 by Mark Rubinstein

I’m often struck by the opening sentence of a novel or short story. It can draw me in and set expectations for what’s to come. This isn’t always true, of course, but a story’s first line is the author’s opening salvo. It may be a “hook” or may operate on a more subtle level, if it does at all. The first sentence can foretell something about the story, or may set the tone for the entire work. Some first sentences have a magnetic power and draw me in, raising my curiosity, nearly forcing me to read on. Others simply strike me because they resonate on some deep level of which I’m unaware. The opening sentence may be a clue about how I will spend a number of hours.

I’ve gathered 14 first sentences from randomly chosen novels, and one from a short story. They’re presented in no particular order. Some are famous opening lines; others are not. Some presage what’s to come; others don’t. I think each one is interesting in its own way.

The Violent LIfe of a Crime-Thriller Writer

October 14, 2013 by Mark Rubinstein

As an author of crime-thriller fiction, I’ve occasionally been asked about violence in my novels. Typical questions range from, why is so much violence in your books? to another, more personal one: Is violence part of your personality or is it totally contrived for your novels?

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Write What You Know

October 3, 2013 by Mark Rubinstein

We’ve all heard the old dictum: “Write what you know.”

In a very general sense, that’s probably true, but there’s much more to writing novels than sticking with those areas with which you are familiar by virtue of training or education.

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The Magic of a Novel

October 1, 2013 by Mark Rubinstein

We’ve all had the experience of reading a novel and being caught up not only in the story, but in the characters (think of Gone Girl and Catcher in the Rye). It’s partly a matter of having an interest in one or another genre, but most of us have enjoyed novels that are not from our preferred reading landscape.

There are probably several reasons why a novel can grab and hold you so you’re sorry the read is coming to an end.

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Writer to Writer: A Conversation with Barry Eisler

September 25, 2013 by Mark Rubinstein

Barry Eisler is the best-selling author of two thriller series, one featuring John Rain, a half-Japanese, half-American former soldier turned freelance assassin; and another featuring black ops soldier Ben Treven.

After graduating from Cornell Law School, Barry joined the CIA and held a covert position with the Directorate of Operations. After leaving the organization, he worked as a technology attorney and startup executive in Silicon Valley and Japan, and earned a black belt at the Kodokan International Judo Center. He began writing full time in 2002 and Rain Fall was the first of his seven-book John Rain series.

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Writer-to-Writer: A Talk with Simon Toyne

August 7, 2013 by Mark Rubinstein

Simon Toyne is the author of the highly acclaimed Sanctus trilogy. Simon graduated from Goldsmith’s College in London with a degree in English and Drama. He worked in British television for nearly 20 years as a producer. In 2007, he left television and moved with his family to France where they lived for six months. He returned to the U.K. and continued writing, while free-lancing in television to help pay the bills. That is, until Sanctus, the first novel of the trilogy was completed and became an international best-seller. It was followed by The Key and the recently released, The Tower. All three novels have been translated into dozens of languages and are read all over the world.

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